Our Services – Waste-to-Energy

Waste to Energy

At Waste Management, we're always thinking green - especially when
it comes to creating alternative energy solutions. Since the
early 1970s, our Wheelabrator division
has been delivering successful waste-to-energy projects, providing
clean, renewable energy and saving space in local landfills. Wheelabrator
facilities have converted more than 145 million tons of municipal solid
waste into more than 75 billion kilowatt-hours of clean, reliable electric
power. Each day we generate enough electricity to power 700,000 homes.

Clean renewable energy is
also generated from Waste Management's landfill gas-to-energy projects,
which minimize emissions of greenhouse gases as well as generate enough
energy to power 160,000 homes each day - the equivalent of nearly 5
million barrels of oil per year.

And, we are engaged in a cooperative research and development agreement
(CRADA), a joint research effort with the EPA to determine which practices
best promote the safe operation of large-scale bioreactor
landfills. Through our Maplewood and King George County Landfills,
we are also participating in the EPA's Project XL, an initiative that
uses pilot projects for achieving superior environmental performance
from bioreactor landfill technology. Our goal is to make Waste Management's
many landfill gas-to-energy programs even more efficient - while making
landfills last longer for our communities.

Document Destruction

Wheelabrator is
more than just a waste-to-energy company. It's also the perfect service
for safely disposing of your business' confidential documents. Wheelabrator’s
combustion process guarantees 100 percent destruction - along with
complete confidentiality.

Greenhouse Gases

Through our many environmental programs, Waste Management is becoming
a greener company every day. The Chicago Climate Exchange agrees. That's
why they brought us on board as a founding member of the U.S. pilot
program to promote the trading of greenhouse gas emission credits,
which are earned by companies who limit or eliminate harmful CO2 emissions.
In fact, Waste Management is second only to the Tennessee Valley Authority
in generating greenhouse gas credits. Not only are these reductions
in greenhouse gases good for the environment, we also use these credits
to demonstrate our commitment to corporate stewardship. For example,
with our donations the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics was the first
Olympics in modern history to have zero impact on the environment.